Mount means for pump apparatus



Oct. 29, 1968 c. RULE MOUNT MEANS FOR PUMP APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 7, 1967 2 2 2 M 4 s a 3 ll. 1 M

fl .llll n Q 3 2 w m o L Q 7 M 7 m Q m 2 3 Oct. 29, 1968 c. RULE MOUNTMEANS FOR PUMP APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April '7, 1967 FIG. 2

United States Patent Oifice 3,407,747 Patented Oct. 29, 1968 3,407,747MOUNT MEANS FOR PUMP APPARATUS Clinton Rule, Beverly, Mass., assignor toRule Marine, Inc., Beverly Farms, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsFiled Apr. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 629,135 11 Claims. (Cl. 103-218) ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention comprises a novel mount meansfor pump apparatus which means provides secure attachment of pumpapparatus thereto. Said mount means comprises resilient horizontallynotched post members extending upwardly from a base means, the notchesof said post members engaging mating recesses provided on the pump meansand, due to the resilient nature of said post members providing a secureattachment of the pump to the mount.

There are presently commercially available numerous and varying types ofmechanical pumps for the transfer of liquids. In particular, impellerpumps suitable for pumping liquids from cavities such as sumps, bilges,and the like enjoy considerable popularity, Basically, such impellerpumps comprise an impeller chamber, a driven impeller disposed withinsaid chamber, and inlet and outlet ports in open communication with saidchamber. Also, there is often associated with such pumps a strainerdevice of some form associated with the inlet port in order to preventingestion of foreign objects of sufiicient size to cause damage to thepump apparatus or to otherwise stop the flow of liquid therethrough.

One of the difficulties encountered with prior art pumps of thehereinbefore-described type resides in the method utilized in mountingsame to the bilge, sump, or whatever the intended site of operation.Heretofore, such pumps have commonly been affixed to the operative siteby such means as screws, bolts, rivets, etc., which means are oftendisadvantageous due to loosening thereof during operations (such as byvibration) and/ or which are of such a nature that facile and quickremoval and replacement of the pump apparatus is achieved withdifficulty, if at all. Previous efforts toward providing a more securemounting for pump apparatus have often involved the use of cotter keys,hairpin clips and the like, which, while often providing an acceptablesolution to the above-described security problem nevertheless providefurther difliculties with respect to ease of removal and reassembly ofthe pump apparatus, particularly in view of the close quarters in whichsuch pumps are normally emplaced. Obviously, due to the often criticalnature of the many tasks to which such pumps are assigned, it isemminently desirable that mounting means be provided which provide thefacility for quick removal of the pump for serving, replacement or thelike, while further providing a secure mount therefor. In accordancewith the present invention such mount means have been provided.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide novel mountmeans for impeller pumps.

It is another object of the present invention to provide mount means forimpeller pumps which provides the beneficial combination characteristicscomprising quick removal and installation of the pump and an unusuallysecure attachment thereof.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novelcombination of mount and strainer means for impeller pumps.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part beobvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

Although the novel features which are characteristic of the presentinvention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appendedhereto, the invention and its objects and advantages will be betterunderstood by reference to the drawings forming part hereof wherein inFIGURE 1 there is provided a schematic, diagrammatic, partiallysectional view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the presentinvention in an assembled state; and

In FIGURE 2 there is provided an isometric diagrammatic view of anotherembodiment of the apparatus of the present invention prior to assembly.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the mount means of the present inventioncomprises, in its broadest aspect, base means 12 and at least twoupwardly extending resilient post members 14. Said post members havehorizontal notches 16 associated therewith. Base means 12 is aflixed tothe site of operation by any suitable method, such as by means of screws17. Assembly of the mount to the pump is as follows: Impeller housing 18'of pump 20 is inserted between post members 14. Recesses 22 in flange24 engage said post members. At the initial engagement of said postmembers and said recesses, due in part to a nicety of fit and in part tothe resilient nature of said posts, posts 14 are displaced outwardly andthereafter provide an inwardly directed bias. At the end of the assemblyprocedure, notches 16 and recesses 22 are indexed, and the inwardlybiased post members 14 urge said notches and said recesses into aninterlocking arrangement one with the other, thus providing an unusuallysecure, vibration-proof attachment of pump 20 to the mount means.Preferably, when interlocking of the notches and recesses has beenaccomplished, post members 14 are substantially completely recoveredfrom the displaced position and, therefore provide substantially nobiasing forces in the locked position, but do however, providebeneficial resistance when other forces incurred during operations, suchas vibration, tend to urge the notches and recesses into an unlockedposition. This aspect of the mount means of the present invention isthought to contribute materially to the unusual security of the mountmeans. To remove the pump from said mount means merely requires thatpost members 14 be displaced outwardly thereby disengaging notches 16from recesses 22 followed by, or concomitant with, withdrawal of pump20.

In a preferred embodiment of the mount means there are also provided aplurality of upwardly extending projections 26 arranged preferablysubstantially equidistantly about the periphery of base means 12. Whenthe pump is assembled to the mount means, said projections are of alength sufficient to substantially abut impeller chamber end plate 28,and of even greater preference, extend over the surfaces of impellercasing 18, thereby providing a strainer means whose function it is toprevent the ingestion of excessively large foreign objects into intakeport 30. While said projections can also be provided substantiallyadjacent the periphery of intake port 30 it is generally preferable toprovide as large a strainer surface as is practical. This, of course, isconveniently achieved by positioning said projections in the preferredmanner, i.e. about the periphery of impeller casing 18.

The design specifics of the mount means of the present invention aresubject to considerable variation and are generally not criticalprovided that the resilient nature of post members 14 be provided. Forinstance, base means 12 can be of any convenient shape, such as arectangle, circle or ring. Generally speaking, however, it is desirablethat the shape of said base means be such that a minimum of space isrequired for fixation thereof to the site of operations. To this end, itwill usually be preferred to utilize a circular base means. Furthermore,any suitable means can be utilized to afiix said base means to theintended site of operation.

It is all important, however, that post members 14 be resilient. Saidresiliency can be achieved through design and/or choice of materials ofconstruction. For instance, when said post members are not integral withthe base means, i.e. when base means 12 comprises a separate anddistinct element from each of said post members 14, said resiliency canbe achieved by fastening the post members to the base means by a hingedarrangement and providing biasing means to each of said hinged posts.However, for the sake of construction and servlcmg s1mplicity, it ismuch preferred that the post members 14 be integral with base means 12,i.e. that the entire mount means structure comprise one piece. It willbe apparent that the pump mount means depicted in FIGURE 1 lends itselfto integral construction such as by use of plastic materials andsuitable thermo-forming techniques. Thus, the mount means comprisingbase means 12, resilient post members 14 and, in the preferredembodiment, projections 26 can generally be produced in one piece byinjection molding of a suitable plastic material.

In further regard to the post members it should be noted that at leasttwo thereof are necessary to provide secure counting of the pump.However, it will generally be preferred to provide at least three suchmembers, spaced at substantially equal intervals about the periphery ofpump when assembled. Further, it is preferred that ends 32 of said postsbe rounded or otherwise provided with a lead contour in order thatindexing and engagement thereof with recesses 22 of flange 24 befacilitated.

Flange 24, which bears recesses 22 can be integral with or form aseparate part of the structure of pump 20. Preferably, and for the samereasons as previously indicated with respect to base means 12 and postmembers 14, said flange is integral with said pump. The particularposition flange 24 occupies with respect to pump casing 21 or impellercasing 18 is not critical provided that, when assembled to the mountmeans, sufiicient clearance or stand-off distance between impellerchamber end plate 28 and base means 12 is provided for substantiallyunrestricted flow of liquid into intake port 30. Preferably a minimumstand-off of at least one fourth of the diameter of port 30 is providedin order to provide a curtain area equal to the area of port 30.Obviously, said stand-off distance can be controlled by adjustment of,the height of horizontal notches 16 on post members 14, the position offlange 24 relative to casing 21 or various combinations thereof.Generally, however, it is desirable that flange 24 be positioned at alocation approximating the junction of casing 21 and impeller housing18. Said positioning normally results in provision of maximum strengthbecause a water-tight end wall 27 separating motor 29 from impellerchamber 31 is normally present in the vicinity of said junction.

In one embodiment of the invention, the mount means, in addition tocomprising a base means 12 and at least two resilient post members 14,also comprises a plurality of projections 26 spaced at substantiallyequal intervals about intake port 30. With respect to said preferredembodiment it is obvious that, when assembled, the free ends of saidprojections should approximate an abutting relationship with impellerchamber end plate 28. As indicated previously, however, it is muchpreferred that said projections be positioned about the periphery ofimpeller housing 18. When such is the case, it is still furtherpreferred that the lengths of said projections be sufiicient to extendbeyond the level defined by impeller chamber end plate 28 and approachabutting relationship with lower surface 34 of flange 24. When saidprojections extend above the level of impeller end plate 28 it isadvantageous to provide chamfers 36 on the inner aspects of the ends ofeach of said projections and/ or chamfers 29 about the circumference ofsaid end plate 28. The function of said chamfers is to providepositioning of impeller casing 18 as said casing is inserted duringengagement of the pump with the mounting means, thereby furtherfacilitating assembly.

Generally speaking, materials of construction suitable for the apparatusof the persent invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art andare normally not critical provided that, as has been previouslyindicated, the necessary resilience of mount posts 14 be provided.Therefore, metals such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys,copper alloys, and the like, are entirely suitable. However, plasticmaterials having good resilience properties are normally admirablysuited as materials of construction of pump apparatus and generallypreferred. Specific examples of such plastic materials are polyamides,polyacetals, acrylonitrile but adiene-styrene copolymers, polystyrenes,polycarbonates, etc.

Obviously, many modifications and changes can be made in the abovedescription and drawings without departing from the scope of theinvention.

For instance, referring now to FIGURE 2, mount post 50 can also bedisplaced inwardly to engage recesses 52. In this case, the direction ofbias is directly outwardly and horizontal notches 54 are provided on theexterior aspects of post members 50.

Further, again referring to FIGURE 2, it will be apparent that althoughprevious discussion has been limited to flanges which encompasssubstantially the entire circumference of the pump in a continuousmanner it is also suitable and specifically contemplated to providemounting lugs 56 which are disposed in a discontinuous manner about pumphousing 58. It should be borne in mind, therefore, that the term flangefor the purposes of the present specification and claims appended heretoincludes within its scope mounting lugs such as are shown in FIGURE 2.

What is claimed is:

1. A novel pump mount which comprises a base means, means to allow saidbase means to be affixed to a site of operation, at least two resilientpost members each bearing at least one horizontally disposed notchthereon, a flanged disposed about the perimeter of impeller pumpapparatus which apparatus comprises a motor housing, an impellerchamber, an impeller positioned within said chamber and an inlet and anoutlet in said impeller chamber, said flange having recesses thereinadapted to (l) first displace each of said resilient post membersthereby providing a biasing force thereto, and (2) to subsequentlyengage said notches of said displaced resilient post members ininterlocking relationship.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein there are provided at least three ofsaid post members.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said post members and said basemeans are integral.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said integral base means and postmembers comprise a plastic material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said recesses and said notches inthe interlocked position provide substantially no displacement of saidresilient post members.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the free ends of said resilient postmembers are provided with lead coutours.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flange and said pump apparatusare integral.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the locus of said flange resides atapproximately the junction of the impeller chamber and the motorhousing.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein in addition to said mount postmembers, said base means also comprises a plurality of upwardlyextending substantially equally spaced projections disposed about theperimeter of the intake part thereby defining a strainer structurearound said intake port.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said projections are positionedabout the periphery of the impeller housing and are of a lengthsufiicient to extend thereabove.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the free end UNITED STATES PATENTS3/1965 Nasvytis 103-87 1/1966 Albee et a1. 103103 ROBERT M. WALKER,Primary Examiner.

